Secularism: Solution & Not The Problem

The recent opinion articles in the Ottawa Citizen regarding freedom of religion provided different points of view on keeping religion in the public domain. In the latest article, writer Andre Schutten refers to recent changes in attitudes as "coming from an aggressive and radical secularism". While that may be a concern from his perspective, there is a growing segment of the population that has a right to freedom from religion. Schutten makes reference to the fact that "religious freedom is listed as the first of the fundamental freedoms in our Charter". Even though that reference is in section 2.(a) of the Charter, and not that the sequence of wording has been assigned any particular degree of significance, freedom of conscience precedes that. Freedom of thought and belief, in section 2.(b), is no less important than freedom of religion. If between 19 and 30% of Canadians are atheists, why should the rights of those not associated with any religion be trumped by those affiliated with one of the 19 major religions and the hundreds of spin-offs?

If we could all learn to keep religious beliefs and its symbols private, for home and places of worship, the world may be a lot more peaceful place. Secularism is not the problem, it is the solution.